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More than 30 communities around the country have applied to be a part of a new demonstration project that the Department of Health and Human Services hopes will nudge the nation toward electronic health records (EHR), according to a statement from HHS.

The demonstration program will give physician practices financial incentives to implement certified EHRs to improve quality of care. HHS expects that as many as 1,200 small- to medium-sized practices in various communities across the country will be a part of the program. The names of these EHR community partners will be announced in June of this year, HHS said. The EHR demonstration project is expected to reduce medical errors and improve the quality of care. 

“This is an outstanding response from communities and, in some cases, entire states,” HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt said in a statement.

For more information about the EHR demonstration project, visit http://www.cms.hhs.gov/DemoProjectsEvalRpts/downloads/2008_Electronic_Health_Records_Demonstration.pdf.